Filariasis in British GuianaSearch the transcript1963 / 16:31Filariasis Research and Control Unit (British Guiana), in cooperation with the British Guiana — U.S.A. Technical Assistance Development Organization, and the United States Agency for International DevelopmentSound, black-and-white.

Filariasis, a parasitic disease, is caused by microscopic (roundworms). Spread from person to person by mosquito bite, the worms can cause elephantiasis and other serious conditions. Filariasis in British Guiana was part of a broad campaign to prevent and treat the disease. It was released in 1963, a time when the United States and Soviet Union were competing for the allegiance of “the Third World.” British Guiana was heading toward independence, and the U.S. government and British colonial administration were undertaking a number of measures aimed at modernization and nation-building. The anti-filariasis campaign was a vital part of such efforts…

Modernizing the tropics, making a new nation with public healthRead the essay